How to stay fired-up on your plant-based journey

Tips to keep your plant-based journey fresh and exciting

Sometimes, even the most committed plant-based eaters can feel their motivation levels dip. You might find that you’ve slipped into repeating the same few meals. Or, perhaps you’re feeling pressure from friends or family – even enthusiastic support can sometimes feel demotivating. Or maybe you’re simply tired of the day-to-day reality of planning and cooking your meals, and explaining your dietary choices to people. If any of this sounds familiar, we’re here to help!

Like any shift in lifestyle, the initial excitement of moving to a plant-based diet can wear off once the novelty fades. But that doesn’t mean that your commitment is failing – it’s simply an indication that it’s time to refresh your approach. Eating more plants should feel rewarding and liberating, and these ideas will help you to find the fun again.

Why motivation dips (and what psychology says about renewing it)

It’s completely normal for motivation to ebb over time – and psychology helps explain why.

When you first make a big life change of any kind, you often feel a rush of energy. This is what psychologists call the honeymoon phase: you’re driven by purpose, novelty, or excitement. But, over time, that initial momentum can give way to stress, routine, or doubt.

A key factor here is autonomy or agency – the feeling that the choices you’re making are truly your own. Research shows that when people eat more plant-based food because it aligns with their personal values or goals, they’re far more likely to stick with it in the long term.¹ On the flip side, when decisions are driven by pressure or guilt, motivation tends to fade quickly.²

Another factor that can negatively affect motivation is your level of confidence. If you’re constantly unsure of what to cook, or find yourself overwhelmed by meal planning, it can chip away at your feeling of competence, which is a major driver of motivation.³

It’s important to remember that this flagging motivation is a sign of normal adjustment, not of failure. With just a few small shifts, you can tap back into the ‘why’ behind your choices and find a rhythm that works for you.

Reconnect with comfort

When energy nosedives or motivation flags, comfort food can really help. Familiar, satisfying meals can ground you and remind you why food matters to you emotionally, as well as nutritionally. And you can easily get those warm, positive feelings from plant-based foods! 

A great place to start is this Mac No Cheese, a plant-based take on the creamy, golden classic. And if you’re after something savoury and satisfying, this creamy Veggie Pot Pie delivers flaky pastry, rich filling, and all the cosiness of a home-cooked favourite, without the meat or dairy.

These kinds of dishes remind us that plant-based cooking doesn’t mean giving up comfort. It just means finding it in new forms, and reinforcing the idea that your new habits can still connect to what makes you feel good.⁴ 

Find a world of flavour

If your usual meals start to feel flat, new flavours can reignite interest and motivation. Many traditional cuisines from different parts of the world are either mostly or entirely plant-based. Exploring them can make cooking feel exciting again.

A dash of colour and Middle Eastern zing comes in the form of this beetroot and mint hummus. It’s easy to make and packed with flavour. Or dive deeper into the world of spices with this rendang with oyster mushrooms, a slow-cooked Indonesian-style dish with coconut and warming aromatics.

Trying new dishes can also help you shift from external pressures to internal curiosity, play, and enjoyment, all of which helps to fuel motivation in the long run.⁵ 

Eat with the seasons

If you’re in a rut, focusing on what’s in season can help to reboot your routine. Picking out fresh, seasonal produce in the supermarket can be really inspiring. And eating seasonally is usually also cheaper.

In summer, for example, try this bright tomato salsa as a topping for salads, wraps, or tacos. This vibrant bell pepper and zucchini soup is another light but satisfying option – ideal for warmer days when you still want a cooked meal. Stir-fried yakisoba noodles are another great way to use crisp seasonal veggies without overthinking things.

In winter, you can draw on seasonal vegetables to create hearty dishes such as this amazing winter vegetable soup with mint and cashews. Or try this cauliflower curry to warm you up on a cold day. With so many root and leaf vegetables available, exploring winter plant-based cooking can be an exciting journey in itself!

Eating with the seasons gives plant-based cooking a natural rhythm and provides a reason to keep exploring — creating a sense of confidence and momentum, both of which help motivation to stick.⁶

Make it easy when you need to

Sometimes the problem isn’t inspiration, but energy. If you’re busy, tired, or just not in the mood to cook, it’s fine to keep things simple.

Quick meals like these Greek-style kebab wraps or this one-pan brown rice with spinach and mushrooms get dinner on the table with minimal effort and without compromising on nutrition or taste. They’re reminders that plant-based eating doesn’t need to be an elaborate performance – it just needs to work for your life. And making it easier reduces the decision fatigue that wears down motivation over time.⁷

Bring back the fun

Enjoyment matters! If your meals have started to feel like a chore, it might be time to turn to food that makes you smile, whether it’s something nostalgic, indulgent, or just fun. Taking real pleasure in what you eat makes it easier to keep going.

A Saturday morning stack of vegan pancakes is a great example of delicious indulgence. Or embrace full-on comfort with this plant-based chicken mega burger – crunchy, spicy, and deeply satisfying!

Fun food isn’t cheating. We tend to return to things that we enjoy. And that’s as true for food as it is for anything else.

Remind yourself why you started

When motivation dips, it helps to pause and think about the reasons why you started on this journey. It’s easy for those reasons to get lost in the grind of daily life, but they’re usually still there, just beneath the surface.

Eating more plant-based foods doesn’t mean that you have to follow a fixed eating pattern. If it feels right most of the time, it’s probably doing more good than you realise.

And, as the research suggests, motivation that’s rooted in personal values tends to last longer than anything driven by pressure or goals alone.⁸

And remember: the important thing is to continue enjoying what you eat and to focus on why you started this journey in the first place!

1. Pelletier, L.G., Dion, S.C., Slovinec-D’Angelo, M., & Reid, R.D. (2004). Why Do You Regulate What You Eat? Relationships Between Forms of Regulation, Eating Behaviors, Sustained Dietary Behavior Change, and Psychological Adjustment. Motivation and Emotion, 28(3). Available at:  https://doi.org/10.1023/b:moem.0000040154.40922.14
2. Sebire, S.J., Toumpakari, Z., Turner, K.M., et al. (2018). “I’ve Made This My Lifestyle Now”: A Prospective Qualitative Study of Motivation for Lifestyle Change Among People With Newly Diagnosed Type Two Diabetes Mellitus. BMC Public Health, 18(1). Available at: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-018-5114-5
3. Jacobs, N., Hagger, M., Streukens, S., De Bourdeaudhuij, I., & Claes, N. (2011). Testing an Integrated Model of the Theory of Planned Behaviour and Self-Determination Theory for Different Energy Balance-Related Behaviours and Intervention Intensities. British Journal of Health Psychology, 16(1). Available at: https://doi.org/10.1348/135910710X519305
4. Pelletier, L.G., Dion, S.C., Slovinec-D’Angelo, M., & Reid, R.D. (2004). Why Do You Regulate What You Eat? Relationships Between Forms of Regulation, Eating Behaviors, Sustained Dietary Behavior Change, and Psychological Adjustment. Motivation and Emotion, 28(3). Available at:  https://doi.org/10.1023/b:moem.0000040154.40922.14
5. Sebire, S.J., Toumpakari, Z., Turner, K.M., et al. (2018). “I’ve Made This My Lifestyle Now”: A Prospective Qualitative Study of Motivation for Lifestyle Change Among People With Newly Diagnosed Type Two Diabetes Mellitus. BMC Public Health, 18(1). Available at: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-018-5114-5
6. Jacobs, N., Hagger, M., Streukens, S., De Bourdeaudhuij, I., & Claes, N. (2011). Testing an Integrated Model of the Theory of Planned Behaviour and Self-Determination Theory for Different Energy Balance-Related Behaviours and Intervention Intensities. British Journal of Health Psychology, 16(1). Available at: https://doi.org/10.1348/135910710X519305
7. Sebire, S.J., Toumpakari, Z., Turner, K.M., et al. (2018). “I’ve Made This My Lifestyle Now”: A Prospective Qualitative Study of Motivation for Lifestyle Change Among People With Newly Diagnosed Type Two Diabetes Mellitus. BMC Public Health, 18(1). Available at: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-018-5114-5
8. Pelletier, L.G., Dion, S.C., Slovinec-D’Angelo, M., & Reid, R.D. (2004). Why Do You Regulate What You Eat? Relationships Between Forms of Regulation, Eating Behaviors, Sustained Dietary Behavior Change, and Psychological Adjustment. Motivation and Emotion, 28(3). Available at:  https://doi.org/10.1023/b:moem.0000040154.40922.14